Vienna - Historical Museum Historisches Museum der Stadt Wien

Founded in 1888, the Vienna City Historical Museum was first housed in the New Town Hall but was transferred to Karlspaltz in 1959. The extensive collections display clearly the history of the city of Vienna throughout various periods.

Ground floor Neolithic Period-Time of Tribal Migrations. Finds from the Stone Age, Bronze and Iron Ages and the time of the Tribal Migrations.

The most important exhibits are a painted Sequani gravestone (second C.), a Roman altar and an ancient treasury. Middle Ages and Late Middle Ages. Views of the city and plans illustrating its development. The Albertinischer Plan is considered to be the oldest plan of the city of Vienna. There are stone fragments and valuable architectural remains from St Stephen's Cathedral. These were removed during restoration and carefully preserved. Among them are an early Gothic Anna Selbdritt (about 1320), three larger-than-life size pairs of Princes (about 1360-65), Gothic stained glass from the Duke's Chapel and the remains of an altar of lime wood (14th C.) Collections of weapons from armoires and arsenal. Among the exhibits are suits of armor, shields, spears and halberds, and also the oldest Italian horse armor and the funeral arms of Frederick III.

First floor History of Vienna in the 16th C. to early 19th C. The 16th C. was a warlike century, and the exhibits include weapons, armor, such as the gilt armor of Imperial princes, ensigns, orders and battle princes. Counter Reformation to the Great War against the Turks. The life of Vienna in the 17th C. is represented in portraits, medallions, coats of arms and etchings and engravings. An exceptional suit of armor recalls the Thirty Years' War, and the Turkish ensigns are mementos of Prince Eugene's victory over the Turks at Zenta. The transition from Baroque to Classicism and City life in the 18th C. The views of Vienna by Delsenbach are particularly interesting, as are the guild booths, the old house signs and traders' signs and the Baroque paintings, sculptures and prints.

Second floor Napoleonic era. Medallions from the reign of Francis II. The Caprara Graymüller Empire Salon. This "Pompeian Salon" with its gold, white and pastel shades, tells us about the environment in which the nobility lived about 1800. The Congress of Vienna, the early 19th C. (Biedermeier period), pre-1848 period and Revolution. There are a great number of paintings here with all the Viennese painters of the Biedermeier period represented (Fendi, Schindler, Danhauser, Gauermann, Rieter, Waldmüller and Amerling). There are displays of the fashions of the day, glass and porcelain, a survey of Viennese Biedermeier period social games, Lanner's giraffe piano and Fanny Elssler's butterfly grand piano. The time of the Revolution is evoked in prints and paintings, and weapons of the National Guard are on show. Foundation period (mid 19th C.). This is illustrated by portraits and relics, in handicrafts and busts. Theatrical life of the period is evoked, as well. Franz Grillparzer's Apartments. When the house at 21 Spiegelgasse was demolished, everything was brought here and the apartments were set up with careful attention to detail. The living room of the architect Loos. This is one of the most outstanding examples of Viennese interior design from the early 20th C. Jugendstil (Viennese Art Nouveau). The most important exhibits include paintings by Klimt and Schiele and designs by Kolo Moser. There is also a sculpture by Rodin. Vienna between the wars and during the Second World War. Documentation concerning the history of the period and modern art. There are works by Wotruba. Kokoschka, Herbert Böckl, Rudolf Hausner and Albert Paris Gütersloh. History in pictures: mainly portraits of important personalities.